While the Tokyo Olympics actually happening next summer is as close as you can get to a sure bet in the Covid era, there remains the question of how many people can be present to watch live.
But Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike is hoping there will be “full spectators present,” she told the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan, according to Reuters.
“The best-case scenario would be when all athletes from all countries come here in safety and with peace of mind and the Olympics can, as in previous years, be held with full spectators present as well,” she said.
Tokyo 2020 chief executive Toshirō Mutō expects an answer by the spring on measures for spectators, but the advent of the vaccines will no doubt help that along. Athletes, coaches and officials are set to be exempt from Japan’s 14-day isolation period and Mutō suggested fans travelling from overseas might also be free from quarantine. That also may be affected by the ability to be vaccinated against the virus.
A dry run this month at the packed Yokohama Stadium screened fans for body temperature and high-spec cameras tracking movement. During a visit to Japan, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said the vaccines made him “very confident that we can have spectators in the Olympics stadium next year and that spectators will enjoy a safe environment”.
Approximately 4.48 million tickets were sold for the Olympics, which are now scheduled for July 23 to August 8, while 970,000 were sold for the Paralympics, set to run from August 24 to September 5. Tickets for the Games postponed from 2020 will be valid for 2021, but Tokyo 2020 will offer refunds to fans who are no longer able to attend.